Keyboard telegraph-transmitter.



D. s. TROTH. KEYBOARD TELEGRAPH TRANSMITTER. APPLICATION FILED MAY 8, 1909. RENEWED NOV. 1, 1910.

Patented Dec. 6,1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

D. S. TRUTH.

KEYBOARD TELEGRAPH TRANSMITTER.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 8, 1009. RENEWED NOV. 1, 1910. 1

1 978,079. 1 Patented Dec. 6, 1910.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DANA S. TRUTH, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

KEYBOARD TELEGRAPH-TRANSMITTER.

Application filed May 8, 1909, Serial No. 494,747.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANA S. TRoTH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oakland, in the county of Alameda and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Keyboard Telegraph- Transmitters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in keyboard telegraph transmitters, and consists of a device whereby the usual contacts for causing impulses employed in the Morse, or other similar codes, for transmitting intelligence through metallic conductors, or by wireless methods, may be given by the single pressure of a key for each character.

By means of my invention the characters comprising any telegraphic code may be transmitted more rapidly than by the present generally employed operating key, and the characters formed with mechanical accuracy. My device requires no special manual dexterity in operation, and it may be practically operated by a person who has no special knowledge of telegraphy, and may be readily applied for use with any telegraph line.

Also by my invention I produce a device which is accurate and positive, and which is simple of construction and inexpensive of manufacture.

An embodiment of my invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which:

Figure 1 is a plan of my device. Fig. 2 is a vertical section, and Fig. 3 is a detail of the contacting mechanism in operated position.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring more paticularly to the drawin 's the numeral 1 represents a spring motor sultably mounted in the case 2. I do not confine myself to the absolute use of such a motive power for the operation of my invent-ion. While I have shown a spring motor, it will be apparent that any form of motor which will give a reasonably uniform speed to the mechanism may be employed.

For the control of such a motor as I have shown, I provide the governor 3 and the friction member 4 for regulating the speed of the mechanism employed. 1 otion from the motor 1 is transmitted by means of suit- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 6, 1910. Renewed November 1, 1910. Serial No. 590,156.,

able gearing 5 to the toothed roller 6; Suitably mounted in the case 1 are the key members 7 on which are mounted the finger pieces 8 as of the usual form employed in the ordinary typewriting machine. These key members 7 have a vertical movement, and in operation are pressed downward a provided distance, and when so pressed and released are returned to normal position by means of the springs 9. As these key members and their operating train of mechanism are similar in construction and operation a description of one of them will suffice for all.

Suitably mounted adjacent each key member 7, and operatable therewith, is the bar 11. This bar 11 has a longitudinal movement in its mounting and one end of it rests against a side of the key member 7. This side of the key member 7 is provided with a cam surface 12, and this cam surface and the bar 11 are so adapted that when the key member 7 is depressed it will impart a longitudinal movement, in direction away from the said key member, to the bar 11. The end of the bar 11 opposite to the end resting against the key member 7, rests against an end of the bar 13, which is pivoted at 14, and which is held in contact with the end of the said bar 11 by means of the sprin 15. Normally resting on the upper end 01' the bar 13 is the end of the bar 16, which is pivoted at its other end at 17. Rotatably mounted on this bar 16, and adjacent to the toothed roller 6, is the toothed wheel 18. This toothed wheel 18 is normally out of mesh with the toothed roller 6. Integral with this toothed wheel 18, or rotatable with it, is the character wheel 19. Suitably and pivotally mounted adjacent to, and I have shown it mounted on the bar 16, is the bellcrank contact member 21, pivoted at 22. One arm of this bell-crank contact member is in resilient contact with the periphery of the character wheel 19, and I have shown it held in this contact by the spring 23. This bell-crank contact member 22 is connected to the one side of an electric circuit such as usually employed in the transmission of intelligence by telegraph, and I have shown this bell-crank contact member and all of its train of mechanism described including the case 1 as being in this one' side of this circuit and adapted to be connected to any suitable metallic conductor by means of the binding post 24.

Suitably mounted in the case 1, and insulated therefrom by the insulation 25., is the contact bar 26, which is adapted at 27 to be connected to the second side of an electric circuit.

It must be understood that with the operation of each key member a separate character wheel 19, and a separate bell-crank contact member is influenced to operate, while the contactbar 26 serves in common with the operation of all of the key members. In normal position all of the bell-crank contact members 21 are held out of contact with the contact bar 26.

I will assume that the motor-has been set in motion and that a reasonably uniform speed has been transmitted to the toothed roller 6, and that a key member 7 has been depressed and released. The depression of this key member, by reason of the cam 12, will move the bar .11 in direction away from the said key member and move the bar 18 011 its pivot. This will move the upper end of the bar 13 from iunder the end of the bar 16 and permit the bar 16 to drop downward. This bar 16 in moving downward will bring the toothed wheel 18 inv mesh with the toothed roller 6, as shown in Fig. 3. This will cause the toothed wheel 18 to be rotated-and with it will be rotated the character wheel 19. In the periphery of this character wheel 19 are recesses. These recesses "correspond with the duration of the contacts desired to' cause the dots and the dashes required, and the periphery of the wheel between the recesses corresponds with the duration of the breaks of the contacts to cause the spaces between the dots and the dashes.

In Fig. 2 I show one arm of the bell-crank contact member resting on the periphery of the character wheel 19, and the other arm of the said bell-crank contact member. out of contact with .the contact bar 26. In this figure the mechanism is shown in normal position.

When the character wheel 19 revolves it will bring one of the provided recesses in it opposite the end of the bell-crank contact member and this end of the said bell-crank contact member will be drawn into it. This will bring the other end of the said bellcrank contact member in contact with the contact bar 26. This will cause contact of the two sides of the electric circuit, and cause an impulse to be sent over the provided conductors. Then the character wheel revolves a little farther the recess will be moved away from under the end of the bell-crank con-- tact member and that end will be raised again to the periphery of the character wheel and the other end of the bell-crank contact member moved away and out of conber with the contact bar and the impulse.

sent out will be ended. It will be seen that by provldlng these recesses of different lengths and by arranging them in the periphery of the character wheel as desired the contacts of the bell-crank contact members 21 with the contact bar 26 can be made for different periods of time and for different characteristics to correspond with the dots and the dashes commonly used in telegraphic codes.

When the character wheel 19 revolves su-fiiciently to bring the recesses in it under the end of the bell-crank contact member and to cause the required contacts, as de- T scribed, I provide, on the toothed wheel 18, an elongated tooth, or projection, 28 to en'- gage with the toothed roller 6. This elongated tooth, or projection, will, as the wheel 18 turns, cause the teeth of the wheel 18 to i T be lifted out of mesh with the teeth of the roller 6, and the wheel 18, in rising, will lift the bar 16 sufficiently to permit the upper end of the bar 13 to be drawn under it by the spring 15. This action will return the bar 11 into contact with the cam surface on the key member 7, which, by reason of the spring 9, was returned to normal position when released by the operator. The character wheel 19 will, by this action,be returned to normal position. 7

I do not limit myself to the precise construction ancl arrangement herein described and shown in the drawings, as I desire to avail myself of such modification and equivalents as fall properly within the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1.. In a keyboard telegraph transmitter, a plurality of rotatable members with recesses in the peripheries thereof, means for rotat ing said members, a plurality of con-tact members mounted adjacent :to said members and adapted to engage in said recesses, a contact bar, and said contact members adapted to contact with said contact bar when engaged in said recesses in said member, substantially as described.

2. In a keyboard telegraph transmitter, a rotatable toothed roller, means for rotating said toothed roller, a plurality of toothed wheels mounted adjacent to said toothed roller and normally out of mesh therewith,

means for meshing said toothed wheels with said toothed roller, a plurality of contact members, a contact bar, said contact members :normally out of contact with said contact bar, members operatable with said toothed wheels with recesses in the peripheries thereof, 'sald contact members adapted to engage in the said recesses, said contact members adapted to contact with said contact bar when engaged in said recesses, and means to dlsengage said toothed wheels from said toothed roller, substantially as described.

3. In a keyboard telegraph transmitter, a rotatable toothed roller, means for rotating said toothed roller, a plurality of toothed wheels mounted adjacent to said toothed roller and normally out of mesh therewith, means for meshing-said toothed wheels with said toothed roller, a projecting tooth on each of said toothed wheels, said projecting teeth on said toothed wheels adapted to lift said toothed Wheels out of mesh with said toothed roller when desired, substantially said toothed roller, a plurality of toothed,

wheels mounted adjacent to said toothed roller and normally out of mesh therewith,

a plurality of depressible keys, means for meshing said toothed wheels with said toothed roller on the depression of said keys, a plurality of members with recesses in the peripheries thereof operatable with said toothed wheels, a plurality of contact members mounted adjacent to said members and adapted to engage in said recesses, a contact bar, said contact members adapted to contact with said contact bar when engaged in said recesses in said members, and means to return the parts to initial positions, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses this 1st day of May 1909.

DANA S. TROTH.

Witnesses:

FRANK L. OWEN, A. DIXON. 

